JPH0457089A - Multi-window display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To display the hidden window by making it active automatically without executing the operation by an operator by displaying the window by making it active automatically, when the job of the hidden window is executed by an active window. CONSTITUTION:When a CPU 13 finishes the job executed by a certain window, a window switching device 14 is actuated by an identifier of its window, and control information of a size, a display position, etc., of a window management table 15 of each window is read in. By the read-in control information, a sub- window whose job is finished is set as an active window, and subsequently, a pointer for showing a connection of the front and the rear of each sub-window is changed and stored in the table 15. Accordingly, when a job executed by a certain window is finished, its window is displayed automatically on a CRT 23 as an active window, and an operator can know the result of processing of its window without changing the priority of each active window by a mouse and a key, etc., as conventionally.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a multi-window display device that displays a plurality of windows in a superimposed manner on the same screen.

〔overview〕

In the multi-window display state, the active window is displayed with the highest priority on the screen, and other windows are hidden by the active window. However, when executing a job for a window hidden by the active window, the operator must perform an operation to display this window. The present invention
When a job is executed for a window hidden by an active window, that window is automatically activated and displayed. Thereby, a window hidden by the active window can be automatically activated and displayed without any operation by the operator.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, this type of multi-window display device performs multi-window display in which, once the display priority etc. of each window is set, a window with a higher priority is superimposed on a window with a lower priority. Therefore, multiple windows can be displayed in a superimposed manner on the same screen.

In addition, this multi-window display control transfers all display data of the highest priority window to the frame memory, and transfers the display data of the portion of the lower priority window that is not hidden by the higher priority window to the frame memory. Do by doing.

In addition, this type of multi-window display device is capable of executing jobs for both the active window that is displayed with the highest priority on the screen and the lower priority window that is not displayed on the screen in the above display state.
Furthermore, when the priority order of each window is changed using a mouse, keys, etc., the windows with the new priority order are displayed in a superimposed manner on the same screen.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the conventional multi-window display device described above, when an image of a window with a low priority that is not displayed on the screen is processed, the operator can change the priority of each window using the mouse or keys. There is a problem that it is inconvenient because the processing result cannot be known unless the process is changed.

Therefore, when a job is executed in a window with a low priority that is not displayed on the screen, if that window is automatically activated and displayed, the processing results can be known without the operator having to perform any operations. .

An object of the present invention is to automatically activate a low-priority window job to enable multi-window display when that window is executed.

[Means to solve the problem]

The means of the present invention are as follows.

A storage means 1 (see the functional block diagram of FIG. 1, the same applies hereinafter) stores the priority order of windows.

The window switching means 2 switches the priority order of the storage means 1 by giving the highest priority to the window in which the job has been completed.

The display means 3 displays each window as a multi-window according to the priority order stored in the storage means 1.

[For production]

The operation of the means of the invention is as follows.

The window switching means 2 gives the highest priority to the window in which the job has been completed, and sets it as the highest priority in the storage means 1. The display means 3 performs multi-window display in this changed order.

Therefore, when you run a job in a window with a lower priority, that window is automatically activated and can be displayed in multiple windows.

〔Example〕

One embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of a multi-window display device.

In FIG. 2, the keyboard 11 is capable of inputting various control information such as the priority, display position and size, and processing instructions of each window stored in the window memory 20.
When this control information is input via the keyboard 11, the keyboard control device 12 transmits this control information to the CPU (
central processing unit) 13.

The CPU 3 can execute processing (jobs) for both the active window with the highest priority displayed on the CRT 23 screen and the lower priority window that is only partially displayed on the CRT 23 screen. When the process is completed, a job end signal is transmitted to the window switching device 14.

The window switching device 14 switches the priority order of the window management table 15 as described later.

The window management table 15 includes the window memory 2
Window control information such as the display position on the screen and priority of the display data of each window stored in 0 is stored,
Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3(a) and (C), each window's width bplI+, height bpn, and left end X coordinate bp
The X and Y coordinates bpy of the top edge, the character size csize in each window, and the line spacing pitch are stored.

The window management table 15 for each window also includes:
As shown in FIG. 3(a), the pointer fρ indicates the beginning of the window management table 15 of the next window, that is, the window that will be displayed immediately after that window, and the pointer fρ that indicates the beginning of the window management table 15 of the next window, that is, the window that will be displayed immediately after that window, and the pointer fρ that will be displayed immediately in front of the previous window, that is, that window. A pointer bp indicating the beginning of the window management table 15 of the window, a pointer 5w5p indicating the beginning of the window management table 15 for the first subwindow,
Stores the pointer sweep indicating the window management table 15 of the last subwindow, the pointer parent indicating the beginning of the window management table 15 of the parent window, title bar data title, active title bar atbp, inactive title bar dtbp, window identifier wd, etc. be done.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3(b), there are three sub-windows A and B for the parent window.

C can be provided in this priority order, and the window management table 15 of the first subwindow A is indicated by the pointer 5w5p indicating the beginning of the window management table 15 of the first subwindow in the window management table 15 of the parent window. Then, based on the window management table 15 of this sub-window A, the window management table 15 of the next sub-window B is
A pointer fpl indicating the beginning of is indicated.

Similarly, window management table 1 of subwindow B
5 indicates the pointer fp2 indicating the beginning of the window management table 15 of the next sub-window C, and since there is no window management table 15 of the next sub-window in the window management table 15 of the final sub-window C, the pointer fp2 is pointed to the beginning of the window management table 15 of the next sub-window C. Null code (N
ULL) is stored.

In addition, the connection of sub-windows C,..., BXA from the opposite direction is shown in the window management table 15 of the parent window.
Pointer series epz subwindow C indicating the beginning of the window management table 15 of the last subwindow in
This is achieved by reading pointers bp3 and bρ2 indicating the beginning of the window management table 15 of the previous windows B, , A in each window management table 15 of XB. Note that in the window management table 15 of the first subwindow A, since there is no window management table 15 of the previous subwindow, a null code (NLILL) is stored as the pointer bpl.

When performing multi-window display, when the CPU 13 gives the control signal to the overlap control device 16, the overlap control device 16 controls the window management table 1.
5, and uses this window control information to create control information for multi-window display, stores it in display control memory 17, and provides a control signal to window display device 18.

Here, as shown in FIG. 3(C), the window control information stored in the window management table 15 indicates that subwindow A is the active window and all display data is displayed, and only one of the display data of subwindow B is displayed. section is hidden by subwindow A, and part of the display data of subwindow C is information hidden by subwindows A and B, this control information for multi-window display reads out all of the display data of subwindow A, A part of the display data of subwindow B that is not hidden by subwindow A is read out, and subwindow A,
This is address information for reading part of the display data of subwindow C that is not hidden by window B.

The window display device 18 reads the multi-window display control information stored in the display control memory 17 and provides it to a bit mover (Bit Nover) 19, and sends the display data of each window stored in the window memory 20 via the bit mover 19. and transfer it to the display memory 21.

Based on the multi-window display control information from the window display device 18, the bit mover 19 reads out the display data of each window that has not been stored in the window memory 20 by truncating, etc., and moves the display data to an area in the display memory 21 corresponding to the display screen of the CRT 23. Transfer to.

The display memory 21 is a frame memory that stores the display information of each dot on the display screen of the CRT 23 in a bitmap format, and the display data stored in the display memory 21 is continuously read frame by frame by the display control device 22. As shown in FIG. 4(a), the subwindow A
CRT23 so that it is superimposed on subwindow B etc.
will be displayed.

Note that the window memory 20 stores output data of jobs executed in each window, data input via the keyboard 11, etc. for each window under write control of the CPU 13.

As described above, the CPU 13 can execute jobs for both the active window A, which has the highest priority and is displayed on the CRT 23 screen, and the lower priority windows B and C, which are only partially displayed on the CRT 23 screen. For example, when a job executed in window B is finished, the window switching device 14 is activated using the window B identifier wd.

The window switching device 14 uses the window management table 15 of the parent window to select a pointer 5w5 indicating the beginning of the window management table 15 of the first sub-window A.
p, and then use this pointer 5WSp to sequentially set the pointers fpl, f of each subwindow A, , BXC.
p2, fp3, the identifier wd of subwindow B handed over by CPUl3 and each subwindow A
, B, and C are compared, and the subwindow B with the matching identifier wd is set as the active window.

That is, the window management table 15 of the subwindow B with the matching identifier wd is set to the pointer 5WSp indicating the window management table 15 of the first subwindow of the parent window, and the previously active subwindow A is made a lower subwindow.

In addition, each sub-window A as shown in FIG. 3(b),
The pointers t'p and bp indicating the connection before and after B and C are exchanged and stored in each window management table 15.

Therefore, when the CPUI 3 gives a multi-window display control signal to the overlap control device 16, the overlap control device 16 reads new window control information stored in the window management table 15, and uses this window control information to determine the new order of books. Multi-window display control information is created and stored in the display control memory 17, and a control signal is given to the window display device 18.

Here, the control information for multi-window display of the new order reads all the display data of subwindow B,
This is address information for reading out part of the display data for the subwindow that is not hidden by subwindow B, and for reading out part of the display data for subwindow C that is not hidden by subwindows A and B.

The window display device 18 reads the new multi-window display control information stored in the display control memory 17 and provides it to the bit mover (Bit Nover) 19, and the pit mover 19 uses the new multi-window display control information from the window display device 18. , the display data stored in the window memory 20 is read out, truncated, etc., and transferred to an area in the display memory 21 corresponding to the display screen of the CRT 23.

The new display data stored in the display memory 21 is read out continuously in frame units by the display control device 22, and is read out on the CRT 23 so that the sub-window B is superimposed on the sub-window A, etc., as shown in FIG. 4(b). will be displayed.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the above embodiment.

When the CPUI 3 finishes a job executed in a certain window, it starts the window switching device 14 using the identifier wd of that window, and the window switching device 14
Size 1 of window management table 15 for each window
．． +pw, bpn, display position 1) Control information such as pX, bpy, etc. is read (step 31), and based on the read control information, the subwindow in which the job has finished is set as the active window (step 32), and then each subwindow A, B.

The pointers fρ and bp indicating the connection before and after C are exchanged and stored in each window management table 15 (step 33).

Therefore, when a job executed in a certain window is finished, that window is automatically displayed on the CRT 23 as the active window, and the operator changes the priority order of each active window using the mouse or keys as in the past. You can obtain the processing results for that window without any trouble.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, when a job in a window with a low priority is executed on the screen, that window can be automatically activated and displayed without any operation by the operator, thereby ensuring reliable work. Able to carry out tasks promptly.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 is a functional block diagram of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a multi-window display device; FIG. 3(a) is an explanatory diagram showing the window management table of FIG. 2; FIG. 3(b) is an explanatory diagram showing the priority order of each sub-window, FIG. 3(C) is an explanatory diagram showing the main control information of the window management table of FIG. 2, FIG. 4(a), (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the display screen of the CRT of FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the multi-window display device of FIG. 2. ■... Storage means, 2... Window switching means, 3... Display means.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] Storage means for storing the priority order of each window; window switching means for switching the priority order of the storage means by giving top priority to the priority order of the window in which the job has been completed; A multi-window display device comprising display means for displaying each window as a multi-window according to priority order.